# Head or head gasket

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** rabbit, volkswagen\
**Created:** [February 8, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076 "2011-02-08T19:43:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ggorbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/779978/32.png) [@ggorbach](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ggorbach)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076/1 "2011-02-08T19:43:09Z")

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Is there any way to tell whether it is a blown head gasket or a cracked head without removing the head? Symptoms are white exhaust (steam) from a diesel engine and a loss of coolant. Some serious overheating occurred in the not too distant past

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**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076/2 "2011-02-08T19:45:44Z")

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No, Not Ordinarily.

CSA

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076/3 "2011-02-08T22:07:47Z")

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no

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**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076/4 "2011-02-08T22:10:55Z")

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The head has to be removed either way.

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**Author:** ![MG-McAnick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mg-mcanick/32/188_2.png) [@MG-McAnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MG-McAnick)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076/5 "2011-02-08T23:18:01Z")

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More than likely it’s the head gasket. If you do a compression test and find low compression on two adjacent cylinders then it is blown between them. They don’t always blow that way though.

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**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/head-or-head-gasket/61076/6 "2011-02-08T23:48:11Z")

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The odds of it being a cracked head are slim to zero. Before getting into any potential head gasket repair you really need to run a compression test on all cylinders. You do not want to go through the head gasket procedure only to end up with a shaky engine due to piston rings and/or valve issues.

You will need a special compression tester for the diesel engine. The tester used for gasoline engines will not work.